It’s great to have readings at your wedding, to help make the occasion truly your own. But don’t you sometimes feel that you keep hearing the same things over and over again?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find something which is absolutely perfect for you, and which your guests won’t necessarily have heard before? Something which really does make your wedding ceremony completely individual?
Here are 10 of my favourite heartwarming and inspiring wedding readings which you may not have come across. And, keep in mind, that lines from some of these would also work beautifully as part of your vows …..!
Always - by Wilfred Paterson
This isn’t sometime
This is always
This isn’t maybe
This is always
The real beginning of forever
This isn’t just midsummer madness
A passing glow, a moment’s gladness
This is love.
I knew it on the night we met
You tied a string around my heart
So how could I forget you?
With every kiss I know that this
Is always.
Destiny
Destiny is a mysterious thing.
No matter what you do or where you go, you cannot avoid it.
And, no matter how hard you try, even putting forth your greatest effort, you can’t force it to happen before its time.
This occasion we witness today is the destiny of two souls.
There is not a force in the universe that could have kept you apart,
and there is nothing you could have done to come together sooner.
Each of you had to live your lives -
lives that were stepping stones,
that have led to this moment in time,
this uniting of hearts and minds that shall be forever more.
This occasion we celebrate today is destiny of two souls.
Yes, destiny is a marvellous and mysterious thing.
I was Meant for You
The sun, it did shine
the day you came into my life
and everything that was wrong
became all right,
everything that was upside down
turned around.
And I smiled because finally
my heart had found its home
and I didn’t need anyone to tell me
that you are where I belong
I knew, I just knew
that it was you.
And the morning sun it would rise
and dance through the happiness
that shone in my eyes.
And all my dreams they did come true
every second that was spent with you.
And every wish I had ever made
came to life that one fateful day.
And I smiled because finally
my life and everything made perfect sense
and I didn’t need someone to tell me
that this was love or what it meant
I knew, I just knew
I was meant for you.
Love is Friendship Caught Fire - by Laura Hendricks
Love is friendship caught fire;
it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving.
It is loyalty through good and bad times.
It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses.
Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past.
It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals.
If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack.
If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.
Love isn't Always Perfect
Love isn’t always perfect.
It isn’t a fairytale or a storybook.
And it doesn’t always come easy.
Love is overcoming obstacles,
facing challenges,
fighting to be together,
holding on and never letting go.
It is a short word,
easy to spell,
difficult to define,
and impossible to live without.
Love is work,
but most of all,
Love is realising that every hour, every minute and every second was worth it
because you did it together.
Partnership is More...
Partnership is more than standing here side by side,
Exchanging looks full of love, full of pride.
It’s more than the ceremony, which lasts just a while,
It’s a promise that’s shared, it’s an intimate smile.
It’s a personal bond that you know will not end,
The knowledge that someone your love will defend.
It’s a vow of commitment, special and true,
It’s a hope and a dream of love endless for you.
From ‘Still Life with Woodpecker’ - by Tom Robbins
Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honour and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words 'make' and 'stay' become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.
The Colour Of My Love - by David Foster and Arthur Janov
I'll paint a sun to warm your heart
Knowing that we'll never part.
I'll draw the years all passing by
So much to learn, so much to try.
I'll paint my mood in shadow blue,
Paint my soul to be with you.
I'll sketch your lips in shaded tones,
Draw your mouth to my own.
I'll trace a hand to wipe your tears
And trace a look to calm your fears.
A silhouette of dark and light
To hold each other oh so tight.
I'll paint the stars in the evening sky,
Draw the light into your eyes,
A touch of love, a touch of grace,
To softly fall on your moonlit face.
And with this ring our lives will start,
Let nothing keep our love apart.
I'll take your hand to hold in mine,
And be together through all time.
The Promise - by Eileen Rafter
The sun danced on the snow
with a glittering smile,
As two lovers sat quietly,
alone for a while.
Then he turned and said, with
a casual air,
(Though he blushed from his
toes to the tips of his hair)
“I think I’d quite like
to get married to you.”
“Well then,” she said,
“well there’s a thought,
But what if we can’t vow
to be all that we ought?
Can you promise me, say, you
won’t grumble and shout
If I’m late yet again when
we plan to go out?
For I know I can’t say that I’ll learn to ignore
Dirty socks and damp towels
strewn all over the floor.
So if we can’t promise to
be all that we should,
I’m not sure what to do,
though the idea’s quite good.”
But he gently smiled and tilted
his head
Till his lips met her ear,
then softly he said,
“I promise, to weave my dreams
into your own.
That wherever you breathe shall
be my heart’s home.
I promise, that whether with
rags or with gold I am blessed,
Your smile is the jewel I shall
treasure the best.
Do you think then, my love,
we should marry, do you?”
“Yes,” she said smiling
“I do.”
Vow - by Roger McGough
I vow to honour the commitment made this day
Which, unlike the flowers and the cake,
Will not wither or decay.
A promise, not to obey
But to respond joyfully,
to forgive and to console,
For once incomplete,
we now are whole.
I vow to bear in mind that if, at times
Things seem to go from bad to worse,
They also go from bad to better.
The lost purse is handed in, the letter
Contains wonderful news.
Trains run on time,
Hurricanes run out of breath,
floods subside,
And toast lands jam-side up.
And with this ring, my final vow:
To recall, whatever the future may bring,
The love I feel for you now.
